Artful Lodging

Contemporary furnishings and a bold palette update a Victorian home

Leaving a job in computer programming to start an interior-design business might seem an odd career move, but not for Eric Oliver. "I was always interested in design," says the 41-year-old, who has called Michigan home since 1988. "I redid a dozen of my own houses, helped friends decorate, and slowly, over the last 10 years, I turned a hobby into a profession."

Oliver can add remodeler to his résumé, having completed his most ambitious undertaking thus far—the 12-year renovation of a Victorian-style home (now a condo) in the historic Heritage Hill district of Grand Rapids. Built in 1885 as a single-family residence, the building was converted to apartments in the 1940s with one unit on the first level and a duplex taking up the second and third floors. By the time Oliver and his business partner, Foye McDonald, bought it in the early 1990s, the grande dame had suffered several unfortunate overhauls inside and out and become a neighborhood eyesore.

Not having the budget for a big makeover, the designer tackled the project in two stages. First, with McDonald's help, he restored the home's exterior to its original state—in compliance with the local historic preservation commission's strict guidelines—and salvaged period details such as ornate crown molding and pocket doors in the renovation of the first floor-flat. After buying McDonald's share and moving into the flat, Oliver took a break for a few years to save up for the next step: remodeling the 2,600-square-foot upstairs duplex, which he planned to use for himself (and sell the smaller unit). "My goal was to open rooms up and make the space more modern, while respecting the house's character," says Oliver, who did most of the labor himself, only hiring licensed contractors to overhaul the plumbing, electrical, and heating systems.

Although the basic bones of the duplex stayed intact, the floor plan was slightly modified: Oliver kept the main living spaces and a bedroom on the first level, but moved the master suite up to the second. To improve traffic flow, he widened some of the passageways between rooms and removed a back staircase and a wall that separated the old galley kitchen from a guest bedroom. This made way for a new 250-square-foot kitchen-family room combination. During demolition the original oak flooring was damaged beyond repair, so he replaced it with bamboo planks. "I like the clean look of it, and it separates those informal rooms visually from the rest of the house," he says.

With a lot of elbow grease, Oliver brought most of the original double-hung wood windows back to life, stripping and repairing them as needed. To add more natural light, he added a few new ones, including an east-facing octagonal window in the family room and a two-story-high arch-topped model with stained glass in the landing (which replaced glass block that had been added during a previous renovation). "Everything that's visible from the outside, including the windows, had to be approved by the preservation commission," he notes.

For the interior, however, the designer was able to express his modern sensibilities freely, which he did with a mix of contemporary and midcentury furniture and a bold color scheme. "Choosing paint for other people's houses isn't a problem, but when it came to my own it took me forever," he says. "I wanted it to be just right to highlight the art and architecture." Eventually, Oliver selected deep charcoal gray for the walls of the kitchen, dining, and family rooms. The strong hue serves as a bold backdrop for his collection of abstract oil paintings. "I like to balance dark tones by spiking them with colorful accents," he explains. Even the room's contrasting glossy white trim becomes part of the palette, brightening up the space and highlighting period window casings and base moldings.

floor plans: before

In the old second-floor plan, the duplex's kitchen was cut off from the living spaces, and there were two staircases leading to the top level.

The back staircase and wall between the kitchen and a bedroom were removed to accommodate a combined kitchen-family room in the new layout. The former master bedroom (the new one is upstairs) was designated as a guest suite with an adjoining bath and sunroom. A new washer and dryer were installed in the bathroom just off the foyer.

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